And he used to rise up at the break of every morning,
and to lie down among his children.
But it is what came of all this, that a fire of jealousy was kindled in
Aoife, and she got to have a dislike and a hatred of her sister's
children.
Then she let on to have a sickness, that lasted through nearly the
length of a year. And the end of that time she did a deed of jealousy
and cruel treachery against the children of Lir.
And one day she got her chariot yoked, and she took the four children
in it, and they went forward towards the house of Bodb Dearg; but
Fionnuala had no mind to go with her, for she knew by her she had some
plan for their death or their destruction, and she had seen in a dream
that there was treachery against them in Aoife's mind. But all the same
she was not able to escape from what was before her.
And when they were on their way Aoife said to her people: "Let you kill
now," she said, "the four children of Lir, for whose sake their father
has given up my love, and I will give you your own choice of a reward
out of all the good things of the world." "We will not do that indeed,"
said they; "and it is a bad deed you have thought of, and harm will come
to you out of it."
And when they would not do as she bade them, she took out a sword
herself to put an end to the children with; but she being a woman and
with no good courage, and with no great strength in her mind, she was
not able to do it.
They went on then west to Loch Dairbhreach, the Lake of the Oaks, and
the horses were stopped there.
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